A nephrologist is a medical professional who deals with the diagnosis, treatment, and management of kidney diseases. They also have expertise in identifying how kidney conditions can affect other parts of the body. They can prescribe medical and surgical treatments, but cannot perform surgeries.

A nephrologist can treat a patient with a chronic urinary tract infection, as there is a chance that it may have spread to the kidneys. A urologist too can treat a urinary tract infection.

Nephrologists are not qualified to perform a kidney transplant. They check the patient for any medical conditions such as high blood pressure or diabetes as these need to be controlled before the transplantation begins. Even after the transplantation surgery, nephrologists care after patients for a long time for follow-up care and problems that may arise, such as transplant rejection.

You should consult a nephrologist for the following symptoms:
Protein or blood in the urine
Diabetes
Autoimmune diseases such as lupus
Abnormal heart rhythm
High or low blood pressure
Anaemia
Difficulty, pain or bleeding while urination
Severe pain in the region of the kidney
Recurrent kidney stones
Chronic infections in the urinary tract

Nephrologists are involved in the treatment and prevention of recurrent kidney stones. They will order blood and urine tests to determine the factors that are making the person prone to developing kidney stones. However, since a nephrologist is not trained to perform operations, removal of kidney stones is done by a urologist.